Grade 4: neck complaints and fracture/dislocation: Most cervical spine fractures occur predominantly at two levels - at the level of C2 or at C6 or C7. Most fatal cervical spine injuries occur in upper cervical levels, either at the cranio-cervical junction C1, or at C2. Epidemiology. Trauma and sports injuries are more common in young adults.
NicolasMcComber/Getty Images Have you ever awakened with a nasty neck crick and wondered what it could be? A "crick in the neck" is not a medical diagnosis. Usually, muscle spasm, trigger points, arthritis, and/or a disc problem underlie the pain.
Other symptoms of a herniated disc in the neck may include numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Although mild pain caused by whiplash injury can heal on its own, severe or persistent pain caused by a herniated disc will require medical treatment.
Elizabeth Young/Getty Images A neck strain is an injury to the muscles that attach to and move the upper part of the spine. Symptoms include muscle spasm, reduced flexibility, and pain, but strains are graded, meaning that they range from mild to severe.
Stefano Garau/istock A neck fracture is a break in a cervical bone. It may be caused by trauma, a fall, or degenerative changes in the spine. The angle of force at impact often determines the type and severity of the break. Football players who block with their head are at high risk for cervical fractures.
The most common symptom of whiplash is neck pain, which can range anywhere from mild to pins-and-needles tingling to excruciating. Other symptoms can include neck stiffness or reduced range of motion, neck instability, shoulder and/or upper back pain, or headache.
As an example, whiplash may result in one or several diagnoses, including muscle strain, ligament sprain, and/or disc injury. Neck Injuries Affecting Soft Tissue. The good news is that most of the time, neck injuries mainly affect soft tissue—your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and/or fascia.
asiseeit/istock Stingers and burners (named for the way they feel) are temporary injuries to the nerve root or brachial plexus. They occur most often in football players (especially tacklers) and other contact-sport athletes.
Whiplash is a relatively common injury that occurs to a person's neck following a sudden acceleration-deceleration force that causes unrestrained, rapid forward and backward movement of the head and neck, most commonly from motor vehicle accidents.
A whiplash neck sprain occurs when your head is suddenly jolted backwards and forwards (or forwards then backwards) in a whip-like movement, or is suddenly forcibly rotated. This can cause some neck muscles and ligaments to stretch more than normal (sprain).